It's scoreboard-watching season, and the New York Islanders got some favorable results on Thursday night ahead of their back-to-back against the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames Friday and Saturday at UBS Arena.
The Pittsburgh Penguins fell 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights, leaving them tied with the Islanders for points at 79. After Friday night, the Islanders will have played one more game but will have the chance to be alone in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a point or a win against Los Angeles.
Although the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets did earn a point in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers to extend their point streak to eight games (4-0-4), they still remain two points back of the Islanders with 65 games played.
The Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins -- the No. 1 and No. 2 wild-card teams in the Eastern Conference currently -- both lost in regulation, keeping them at 79 and 78 points, respectively.
While the Islanders hope to make the playoffs as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Metro, it's important that finishing in a wild-card spot is a possibility. A few months ago, it looked like it was a lock that two Atlantic Division teams were taking those two spots.
The Washington Capitals lost 2-1 to the lethal Buffalo Sabres, keeping them four points back of the Islanders with two more games played.
The Islanders control their own destiny with 17 games to go. Puck drop against the Kings comes your way at 7 PM ET.
Adam Fantilli(19) scored the only goal for Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 19 of 21 Panther shots, including 4 of 6 on the power play, but Florida would win in OT by a score of 2-1.
The story of this game was goaltending. On both sides of the ice, Elvis Merzlikins and Sergei Bobrovsky both played very well. But it was Bobrovsky, it typical fashion, who would steal the show. For some reason, when he plays Columbus, he plays with pure hatred towards his former team. His record is now 15-2-1 against his former team.
After the game, Adam Fantilli called it "disappointing" that the referees missed the dive by Matthew Tkachuk in the OT period.
First Period - SOG 14-3 CBJ - No CBJ Goals
The first six minutes of the game were fairly uneventful. Both goalies had to make a couple good stops due to their defense coughing up pucks in their respective D-zones. Both teams had good energy, too, with lots of players flying up and down the ice.
Eetu Luostarinen gave the Blue Jackets their first power play when he was called for interfering with Isac Lundestrom with 2:47 left in the first period. The Panthers, with their 6th ranked penalty kill, allowed only one shot on the CBJ power play, and killed it with ease.
The Blue Jackets dominated on the forecheck and won puck battles in their O-zone in the entire period. Sergei Bobrovsky made some huge stops on his former club, as the CBJ had 15 scoring chances in the first period.
"I thought our forecheck was unbelievable," Adam Fantilli said during the intermission interview on the TV broadcast.
Second Period - SOG 10-6 CBJ - CBJ Goal - Fantilli
The second period, nine minutes in, went much like the first period in terms of the Blue Jackets forecheck. They seemed to always have possession of the puck and were throwing pucks at Sergei Bobrovsky as much as they could.
Ten minutes into the period, and the Panthers only have 5 shots on goal, and a total of eight for the game. The Jackets had 5 shots of their own but could've had a few more had it not been for all the blocked shots by Florida. To this point in the game, the Cats have 13 blocked shots.
The Blue Jackets were awarded their second power play when Donovan Sebrango interfered with Mathieu Olivier. The Panthers killed the penalty, but just seconds after Sebrango came out of the box, Adam Fantilli blistered a wrist shot by Sergei Bobrovsky to put the CBJ up 1-0.
To end the period, Damon Severson was called for a penalty on A.J. Greer. The Panthers will start the third with a full two-minute power play.
Third Period - SOG 7-6 CBJ - NO CBJ Goals
Sam Bennett scored 1:28 into the period and power play to tie the game at one. A bad luck bounce off the crossbar put the puck right into Bennett's stomach, which then fell right down to his feet, where he could bury it by Merzlikins.
With 13 minutes left in the third period, the Panthers seemed to have finally found themselves. To this point, they have dominated the period and lead the shots on goal counter at 3-1. Sergei Bobrovsky has stood on his head to keep the Cats around long enough to make their push.
With 6:13 left in regulation, Bobrovsky continues to keep his team in the game with some big saves. One might think he's upset with Columbus by the way he plays against his former club. The Panthers have dominated Columbus to this point, and the Jackets seemed to have lost a step as well.
The game would go to overtime after both Merzlikins and Bobrovsky played unbelievable games.
In the OT, Matthew Tkachuk fooled the refs by diving, sending Adam Fantilli to the box for tripping. It was 100% not a trip, but the refs saw it differently. The Panthers promptly scored the game winner at the hand of Sam Reinhart.
Not saying the Blue Jackets would've won but missing that dive by Tkachuk was crucial.
Final Stats
CBJ APP
Player Stats
Adam Fantilli scored his 19th goal of the season.
Mason Marchment collected his 18th assist.
Team Stats
The Jackets went 0/2 on the power play.
The Columbus PK was unable to stop the Panthers power play on two chances.
Columbus won 58.5% of the faceoffs - 24/41
The Blue Jackets had 13 hits and 10 blocks.
NextUpFor Columbus: The Blue Jackets continue their road trip in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Saturday night.
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 25: The ABS challenge screen is seen on the scoreboard during a spring training game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 25, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every MLB season gives us something new, but 2026’s changes will be quite drastic. The automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system will take center stage this year, as pitchers, catchers, and hitters will all have the ability to double-check whether or not a called strike was actually a strike. I’m a big fan of the challenge system over pure roboumps, in large part because it introduces a new tactic: who gets to challenge, how frequently does a team challenge, and how good are you at it?
In short, a team’s approach to ABS will fall somewhere inside this matrix:
For our definitions, we’ll use liberal and conservative to describe how many players on a given team are allowed to challenge at all. Some of the early returns in spring training have indicated that pitchers, because they’re naturally falling away from the plate, have poor angles of view and shouldn’t be allowed to challenge. Some hitters have excellent command of the strike zone and others are free swingers; Juan Soto should be allowed to ask for reviews on close pitches, but I’m not sure Javy Baez should.
How readily you challenge falls on that x-axis, rarely or frequently. Every team has a limited number of challenges, but some — or indeed even some individuals — will no doubt choose to keep a challenge in reserve for a hypothetical scenario later in the game. I’m not a fan of this personally. Yes, you may want to have a review in your pocket for a 50/50 call in the ninth inning when you’re down by a run, but if an overturned strike gives you a 3-1 count in the 5th and you break the frame open with a big hit, you never run into that close ninth inning. There’s no way of telling when the Big At Bat is in a game, so don’t let a possible moment go by and end the game with a challenge to give.
And then of course there’s the thing that matters most, our inclined axis, are you good at challenging? Your approach to the two above axes probably derives from where you are here. If your team consistently wins more challenges than it loses, you should probably allow more hitters and catchers to call for review, and you should probably be more ready to use those reviews earlier in the game. If your team consistently gets these reviews wrong, the opposite will happen — pare down who is allowed to challenge, and keep one in your pocket.
I think for April most teams will be pretty high on our x and y axis, to determine where on our inclined axis they fall. For the Yankees in particular, I expect them for most of the season to be pretty liberal in who is allowed to challenge, but in the midpoint in how readily they do it. Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman are far from the most aggressive people running MLB teams, and whether you like it or not the Yankee teams they’ve constructed have always had multiple redundancies — Paul Goldschmidt back again just in case Ben Rice can’t hit lefties, things like that. That kind of behavior indicates to me that they’ll prefer to keep a challenge in hand in case of that big ninth inning moment, even if just about anyone 1-through-9 will be allowed to use one review earlier in the game.
Since the last round of changes to the replay review system in 2015, Aaron Boone has been the fifth-most-successful manager, with just over 60 percent of his challenges being won, and he’s had far more games under his belt than anyone else in the top 10 except Alex Cora. Now this isn’t really credit to Boone himself but rather the group the Yankees have assembled that advise the manager on whether to challenge or not, but it should give us confidence that the ABS review will be a strength for the club in 2026. There’s also the small factor of them rostering the player who has had more incorrect strikes called against him than any other player since he debuted, and I’m holding out hope for a .600 OBP season from a challenge-enabled Aaron Judge.
The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to show resiliency on and off the court, extending their winning streak to four straight games.
The Lakers are third in the Western Conference with a 41-25 record, trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Coach JJ Redick credited the team for beginning to understand the importance of playing united during the stretch.
“It goes back to the human element and what they are comfortable doing as basketball players,” Redick said about his players before the Lakers’ 120-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The team followed up that performance with a 142-130 win against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday and have won seven of its last eight games.
The trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves has led the way for the team – but often not all at the same time.
“The human struggle to want what you want while also having the emotional maturity and recognition that you have someone next to you hasn’t been so clean, but losing a training camp and the start of the year (without James), then losing AR for a long stretch, I think we are starting to get it,” Redick said.
“... thats just the nature of it and that’s the nature of every big three that’s played together and we are going to get there and I think we have seen some positive signs. With LeBron, I know he recognizes the importance of having Luka as the engine and all he really wants is to impact winning and I’ve said that now for the past two weeks, but we are going to get there.”
James is dealing with a right hip contusion and left foot arthritis, which caused him to miss the first three games during the streak, leaving Doncic and Reaves to take on a bulk of the workload offensively.
The trio was back on the court together Thursday, with Doncic falling just short of a triple-double performance. Doncic produced 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against the Chicago Bulls.
Doncic received MVP chants in the final minutes of the fourth quarter when heading to the bench.
Doncic also led a strong second-half effort on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, just hours after a report surfaced regarding his breakup from his fiancée and a potential custody battle. The couple has two children together.
Doncic produced a triple-double with 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds against the Timberwolves. He scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half. Reaves also added 31.
Reaves followed that performance up with 30 against the Bulls.
The duo’s scoring ability was not taken lightly by Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, who mentioned before Tuesday’s game that he expected Reaves and Doncic to take on the bulk of the offensive workload while James was out.
With James back on the court for the Lakers on Thursday against the Bulls, he scored 18 points to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds.
What has impressed players such as Doncic the most this week is the team’s defensive performance, which held Minnesota to 45 points in the first half.
"I think we played some of our best basketball games of the season,” Doncic said after the Minnesota game. “It starts on defense. Everybody's putting in the effort and that's not easy to do. I think we're doing it now."
The Lakers have averaged 41.1 rebounds per game this season, which ranks 26th in the league, but collected 47 against Minnesota.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton led the team in rebounding with 12, to go with his 14 points against the Timberwolves.
"It's great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor," Redick said. "It's better for (Ayton) to have a game like that against a really good team, one of the best teams in basketball. … It's good for his confidence."
He also had a double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds) against the Bulls.
While the Lakers remain focused on winning a potential playoff run, Doncic and James were among the members to spend time with patients at a UCLA Health medical center.
“You go there, and you realize that you’d really have problems in your life,” Doncic told reporters on Thursday. “Health is the most important thing in your life, so you realize you don’t have problems at all. Just having interactions with them was super amazing and I’m really appreciative for that.”
While the Montreal Canadiens have yet to book their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they look well on their way to qualifying, and barring a disaster of epic proportion, they should get their ticket to the spring dance, despite going through most of the season with questionable goaltending. This shows just how much this team has progressed offensively. The Canadiens have scored 236 goals so far this season, the fourth-highest offensive output in the league behind the offensive juggernauts the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and the surprising Buffalo Sabres. Montreal is third in goals-per-game average with 3.53, hot on the trail of the Avalanche (3.78) and the Oilers (3.55).
That productive offence is the reason why the Canadiens are where they are in the standings. Still, as the postseason approaches, games get tighter, goals scored go down, and offensive picnics are a thing of the past, which means that goaltending becomes that much more important. This is the reason why the Habs called up Jacob Fowler. Samuel Montembeault is dealing with serious issues in his game right now, and his confidence is shaken, just like the team’s confidence in him. As for Jakub Dobes, he generally finds a way to win, but often benefits from a lot of support from his teammates filling up the net at the other end. Still, right now, it appears that Fowler and Dobes are ahead of Montembeault in the hierarchy.
In 11 games this season, Fowler has a 5-4-2 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Meanwhile, Dobes is 21-6-4 with a 2.97 GAA and a .892 SV, and Montembeault is 10-8-4 with a 3.43 GAA and a .872 SV. As things stand, both the eye test and the stats test point to the Habs entering the playoffs with a tandem of rookie goaltenders.
Over the years, we’ve often heard that you need experience to win in the postseason. Still, despite being a 7-season veteran and 29-year-old, Montembeault has played only parts of three playoff games, leaving the third after being injured. That totals 152 minutes of playoff action; Dobes has played the same number of postseason games, for a total of 144 minutes. Of course, Fowler has yet to see any playoff action in the NHL, but he did play in the AHL postseason last year. He appeared in eight games or 387 minutes for the Laval Rocket, posting a 3-3-0 record, a 2.48 GAA, a .902 SV and a shutout.
Historically, the Canadiens have not fared too badly with a rookie goaltender in net. You don’t have to look any further than the 1986 Stanley Cup conquest to see that a rookie can do it. That year, Patrick Roy won both the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' MVP. League-wide, Cam Ward also led the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup championship as a rookie in 2005-2006, and Matt Murray did it with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16.
Hockey is increasingly becoming a young players’ game; why should it be any different with goaltenders? Talent and confidence will take you much further in the postseason than experience, especially if it’s not positive experience. Montembeault has struggled all year, and he looks lost in the crease right now. Unless he miraculously rebounds, the Canadiens will and should go full speed ahead with their two rookies. If the puck were to drop in the postseason today, they’d give Fowler the net, and Dobes would act as his backup. It’s a shame for Montembeault, but hockey is a results game, and you’re only as good as your last performance.
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 23: Victor Wembanyama #1, Dylan Harper #2, Stephon Castle #5, and Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs huddle during the game against the Detroit Pistons on February 23, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, David Jones Garcia, Harrison Ingram, Dyaln Harper and Jordan McLaughlin were asked what they would tell their 10-year-old selves.
Vassell shared “don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”
Wembanyama stated that the advice he got was to determine if something he was working on was for now or for his future.
David Jones Garcia recalled his father told him to “fight for your dreams.” Spurs fans may recall that before his father passed, David promised he’s play in an NBA game. He accomplished that this season with the Spurs. He was also invited to participate in All-Star Weekend through his successes in thr G-League. Unfortunately, he has been sidelined for the seaosn after having surgery on his right ankle.
Harrison Ingram’s share was poingnant. He brought the visual of a globe and said that the world looked the same whether you win or lose.
Dylan Harper said he’s remind his young self to be yourself, which sounds like a Harper family mantra.
Jordan McLaughlin said he’d tell his younger self to “enjoy the process.”
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
Former Devils Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich scored for the Flames Thursday as Calgary took a 5-4 win. [Devils NHL]
“It’s been a trying season for the New Jersey Devils. Much of it is general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s fault for not assembling a strong enough roster. Sheldon Keefe deserves some blame as well, though it does appear he’s changed how the team plays since the Olympic break. That’s left the Devils in a position where their final 18 games don’t have significant meaning since they’re highly unlikely to make the playoffs. Still, there are a few things I’d like to see to build momentum heading into the offseason and the 2026-27 campaign.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Yes, it required a double-take. After Nick Schmaltz removed himself from the already thin July 1 free-agent market with his contract extension with the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, I glanced at the remaining pending UFA class. As of Thursday morning, your leading point-getter among pending UFA players was … drumroll … Darren Raddysh!” [The Athletic ($)]
“In a surprising reversal, the NHL has decided the Ottawa Senators will no longer forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in the canceled 2022 trade between Vegas and Anaheim involving winger Evgenii Dadonov. Rather than giving up their first-round pick in June’s NHL draft, the Senators will select last (32nd overall) in the round and pay a $1 million fine in Canadian dollars, the league announced Thursday. That money will go to the NHL Foundation Canada, a league-sponsored charitable organization.” [ESPN]
A look around the league at the draft capital situation following the trade deadline: [Sportsnet]
“O’Reilly, Benn, Reaves and Bogosian bring the NHL’s visor-less population to 0.46 percent of current skaters. That number stood at 32 percent of players during the 2011-12 season and 27 percent in February 2013, according to numbers provided by the NHL Players’ Association at the time.” [The Athletic ($)]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
Aug 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grant Wolfram (86) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles had their final off day of spring training yesterday, and now it’s an all-out sprint to the end of camp. The O’s will play 13 games in the next 11 days, which includes a pair of split-squad games next Thursday, the prospects-only Spring Breakout game next Friday, and games against the Nationals in both Baltimore and D.C. to close out their exhibition schedule March 22 and 23.
With less than two weeks until Opening Day, everyone seems to be wondering how the O’s will pare their current camp roster of 53 down to their season-opening 26-man. MASN’s Roch Kubatko, MLB’s Jake Rill, and Baltimore Baseball’s Rich Dubroff all offered their thoughts about how the roster might line up when the season starts. All three predict the Orioles to solve their six-starting-pitcher dilemma by having Zach Eflin start the season on the IL and continue to ramp up after last year’s back surgery. Things sure seem to be leaning that way, considering that Eflin has thrown just two innings this spring — impressive as they were — and isn’t currently scheduled to pitch for the rest of this week.
The three writers are mostly in sync about how the bulk of the roster will shake out. The biggest questions right now are the final couple of spots in the bullpen and on the bench. Kubatko and Rill advocate for hard-throwing, out-of-options righty Jackson Kowar, while Dubroff pegs the last bullpen spot for Yaramil Hiraldo. All seem to agree that Grant Wolfram has pitched his way onto the team with his stellar spring (five scoreless innings, nine strikeouts) while Albert Suárez (nine runs in 6.2 innings) has probably pitched his way off of it.
On the bench, the utility infield decision seems to come down to either Jeremiah Jackson (Dubroff’s pick) or Luis Vázquez (Rill’s selection). Personally I’d go with Vázquez, because if you have Coby Mayo as your starting third baseman, you need to have a competent defender available to replace him in the late innings, and Jackson isn’t that guy.
I think the beat writers have got the roster competition sized up pretty well based on who’s currently in camp. But I feel like the Orioles might have another significant move up their sleeve before the season starts. To me there’s still a bit too much redundancy among the position-player group — particularly Ryan Mountcastle, who isn’t going to knock Pete Alonso out of the lineup and doesn’t provide any defensive versatility beyond first base.
The bullpen also seems a little light, especially now that Andrew Kittredge is injured. I don’t like the idea of Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano getting high-leverage innings, not to mention the relatively unproven guys like Wolfram, Dietrich Enns, and Rico Garcia. Maybe there’s a way for the O’s to address two problems at once by trading Mountcastle for a relief pitcher if they can find an interested partner. Just spitballing here.
What say you, Camden Chatters? As of now, what would your Opening Day roster look like?
I’m going to be holding my breath every time an opposing batter hits a grounder to third base. But I’ll learn to live with it if Mayo keeps hitting like he’s been doing this spring.
Yes, of course he does. Davis’s O’s career was worlds better than some other guys in the Orioles Hall of Fame. But I understand why his epic collapse is still a a fresh wound for Orioles fans. I would have maybe waited a couple more years before putting him in.
I’ve barely thought about Taylor Ward in months, so I suppose the answer is yes.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Only one player in O’s history has a March 13 birthday: happy 62nd to Will “The Thrill” Clark. He was best known for his prolific career with the Giants and Rangers, but he spent the last two years of his career in Baltimore from 1999-2000. Clark had a .964 OPS in his final season, including 1.081 in 51 games with the Cardinals after a deadline trade, so he certainly went out on top.
On this date in 1996, the Orioles traded outfielder Sherman Obando to the Expos for outfielder Tony Tarasco. Amidst an otherwise unremarkable two seasons with the Orioles, Tarasco infamously was the right fielder from whom Jeffrey Maier stole Derek Jeter’s fly ball at the fence in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS. Three years later, Tarasco played 14 games for the Yankees, but as far as I know he had no further incidents with fans at the wall.
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. Welcome to March, as Opening Day is now less than two weeks away!
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
Free of charge for the discerning reader.Not much happened, but what did happen was important. Happy birthday to former Cubs Mark Leiter Jr. and Keegan Thompson*.
Today in baseball history:
1917 – After hearing that Gabby Street had caught a ball dropped off the Washington Monument in 1908, BrooklynmanagerWilbert Robinson brags that he could catch a ball dropped from an airplane at spring training, even though he is in his mid-50s and well above his playing weight. Robinson circles unsteadily under the descending spheroid. Instead, a grapefruit was secretly substituted and it explodes on impact with his glove. Once he feels the ooze, Robinson thinks it is blood, and screams that he is dying, until he tastes the juice. He later concedes that he probably would have been killed if a real baseball had been dropped from the plane. Aviatrix Ruth Law dropped the grapefruit as outfielderCasey Stengel assumed culpability for the switch.
1943 – The major leagues approve a new official ball manufactured by the Spalding Company for the upcoming season. Instead of the usual combination of cork and rubber, the inside of the ball is made up of recycled cork and balata, materials not needed in the war effort. Officials insist the ball will have the resiliency of the 1939 ball, but the players will express dismay that they cannot drive the new ball and point out the dearth of runs and homers in 1942 even with the old ball.
1954 – ABC’s attempt to turn a spring training game between the Phillies and White Sox in Clearwater, FL into a national telecast ends in a fiasco. As part of its contract to air the Game of the Week, the network has until now been prohibited from broadcasting any game within 75 miles of an existing major league franchise, but it tries to contravene this by omitting the clause from that broadcast’s contract. The teams only realize this just before the game is aired, and then force ABC to pull the game from the “illegitimate” stations. As the network is unable to do so in time, it simply stops the broadcast after three innings without providing an explanation to viewers.
1960 – The Chicago White Sox unveil an important uniform innovation. The Sox’s road uniforms feature players’ names on the backs of the jerseys, marking the first time that players’ names will appear on major league uniforms. The innovation will make it easier for fans watching games on television to identify the players on the field. The idea is yet another creation of colorful White Sox owner and innovator Bill Veeck.
1986 – The father-and-son team of Hal and Brian McRae appears together in an exhibition game for the Kansas City Royals. Brian, who will be sent back to the minor leagues before the start of the season, will not make his major league debut until 1990. In 1991, Brian will play for his father when Hal takes over as Royals manager.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 09: Chase Utley waves to the crowd prior to the 2024 London Series game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at London Stadium on Sunday, June 9, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This time next week… you will not be watching the Phillies play regular season baseball. This time the week after next… you will also not be watching the Phillies play regular season baseball. But one day before this time next week… then you’ll be watching Phillies regular season baseball.
Unless opening day gets rained out again, in which case you will be watching the Phillies play regular season baseball this time the week after next.
Wild celebrations during game despite threat of fines
Winger scores 213th try of his career against Roosters
Thousands of fans have stormed onto the field at Allianz Stadium to celebrate South Sydney veteran Alex Johnston breaking the NRL’s try-scoring record.
The winger entered the history books when a break down the left edge put him over for his 213th career try, and his second in Friday’s clash with bitter rivals Sydney Roosters.
Verstappen describes Red Bull as ‘undriveable’ on radio
Bahrain and Saudi GP decision due after China race
George Russell laid down a further marker as the man to beat in the new Formula One season with a dominant run in qualifying to claim pole for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. He sealed another front row lockout alongside Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli with Russell finishing more than half a second clear of their nearest rival.
The first sprint weekend under the new regulations is a journey into the unknown for teams and drivers and they had only the single hour of practice to understand how best to optimise their cars for energy deployment before qualifying.
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 21: Tari Eason #17 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on February 21, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 2025-26 NBA season was supposed to be a big year for Tari Eason. At least, he was banking on it from a contractual standpoint.
Eason was essentially the only player Houston drafted and developed that didn’t land a contract extension. Thus far, at least.
Jalen Green secured a long-term deal before getting traded for Kevin Durant, and both Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. secured rookie-scale extensions alike. Amen Thompson will certainly be getting one.
Houston’s brass offered Eason a $100 million dear, with an injury guarantee. In other words, a non-fully guaranteed deal, which Eason understandably rebuffed.
At the start of the season, it seemed like a wise gamble. The fourth-year forward was shooting 50.9 percent from long-range through the first 11 games of the season, while also averaging 11.5 points off the bench.
Then he got injured (for the first time), causing him to miss 14 games. Eason returned with a bang, averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 41.9 percent from deep over the next 10 games after his return.
Eason got re-injured in Houston’s back-to-back stretch against the Portland Trail Blazers and missed five games before returning, playing 10 games before the All-Star break. During those games, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 44.4 percent from deep.
In the 12 games since the All-Star break, however, he hasn’t been nearly as effective. During the Rockets’ current stretch, he’s averaging 7.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 15.6 percent from three.
Ouch.
Eason has now gone four consecutive games without making a single three-pointer. He’s gone 1-of-19 from long-range in Houston’s last six contests.
And defensively, he’s definitely cratered. He’s generally a high impact defender, but lately, it’s become rather commonplace for him to get beat on that end. And that doesn’t even account for the amount of utterly foolish fouls we’ve seen him commit of late.
So what’s happened to Tari Eason? There’s speculation that he’s still playing injured.
There would seem to be merit to that theory, as he definitely came back rather quickly from his ankle injury suffered earlier in the season.
And if that is, in fact, the case, Ime Udoka would be wise to let him get fully healed before the playoffs start. Houston is going to need the version of Eason from earlier in the season.
Let Josh Okogie get more run while Eason rests up and gets fully healed. (Remember when we thought Okogie was the perfect role player?)
Whatever the case, the Rockets will certainly have to get better play from Eason. Expeditiously. He needs it too.
This season was essentially supposed to be a job interview for the entire league. It seems as though he misjudged his value a bit last summer.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 and Aaron Judge #99 of the United States talk between innings during a World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 06, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s about that time in spring where the real games start to get close, we’ve seen everyone take the field for a few weeks, and some surprise names have had hot starts while others are working off the rust. The Yankees are making their roster decisions on a near-daily basis, whittling down their invitee list starting with the obvious prospects that were always here just to get a look-see and some time with their hopefully-future teammates and coaches. Everyone else around the league is doing the same, and as those rosters begin to take shape we can start to consider where our relative preseason rankings fall.
The Yankees are expected to be contenders, both within the locker room and by the media at large. It’s expected, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted that their aim is playing in October because as we’ve seen in recent years… there’s plenty of teams that aren’t. Still, sometimes the team that’s finally looking to make some strides towards contention manages to skip a step or two and finds themselves playing deeper in the fall then they’ve done in a long time, or a team that’s been in the dance a bunch of times just to get kicked right out finally puts it all together to go on a magical run. You can’t predict baseball, as a famous radio broadcaster once said, and every year there’s one or two teams that really turn heads just based on how far they got in the end. Who could it be this year?
The Mariners and Blue Jays both fit the bill last year, meeting in the ALCS after years of playoff frustration with the latter making their first World Series since the early 90s. This year teams will be ready for them, but will they be ready for a team like the Rangers, who had a stellar rotation bogged down by one of the weakest lineups in baseball? Perhaps it all turns around for them, and they find themselves back in it like their 2023 run. Or maybe the AL Central finally gets some respect, with the Guardians once again getting little fanfare despite winning the division three out of the last four years. The Tigers have the flashiest piece with their ace Tarik Skubal and they added Framber Valdez to form a monster 1-2 combo, but don’t count Kansas City out with Bobby Witt Jr. leading the charge. Their rotation is formidable as well, and their supplementary hitters could be enough to get them back into a Wild Card Series.
Over in the National League, the Mets and Phillies have leapfrogged Atlanta after the Braves spent more than a half-decade ruling it. Atlanta missed the postseason altogether, and they face an uphill battle to get back into it, but perhaps Ronald Acuna Jr. and company can surprise some folks and get back on top this year. The NL Central could be the most ripe field for dark horses, as Milwaukee stunned with an MLB-best 97 wins last year but faces competition to hold onto their new crown. The Cubs remain a threat, and while the Cardinals have faded into the foreground of a division they once dominated the Reds could take a leap and prove that ownership should have invested in them more with another ticket to October. The Pirates would be a truly absurd team to rise out of the ashes due to their overall ineptitude, but they do have Paul Skenes — and wouldn’t it be fun to see him in meaningful games come September? About the only division that doesn’t seem interesting on this front is the NL West, as the Dodgers have remained kings for over a decade barring one strange 2021 run from the Giants and the Padres are known contenders who’ve had to settle for the Wild Card.
If you forced me to pick one team from each side to watch out for, I’d go with Kansas City and Atlanta. I don’t expect the Royals to go very deep, but I think they could give their contemporaries in the Central a run for their money and perhaps upset one of them in the standings. As for Atlanta, despite all their years ruling the East it was the year that they looked their least appealing in that span that they won it all. The Mets and Phillies are flashier, but there’s plenty of room for one of them to combust this season, and I’ll believe Atlanta’s down for the count when I see it. Who would your picks be, and how far do you think they’ll go?
Today on the site, Josh leads off with some thoughts on the ABS Challenge influence on this season and how teams will be poised to utilize it. Matt takes us back to the Deadball Era to wish Home Run Baker a happy birthday, Jeff walks us through how the Yankees’ archrivals will look heading into 2026 with a Red Sox preview, and after the exhibition I’ll be around to answer your latest mailbag questions.
